WELCOME TO LAGOS

Hiya! So I’ve found that the saying ‘easier said than done’ rings true. I didn’t think I would say this of myself but, here I am, eating the humble pie and wishing it tasted better!

At the beginning of this week I said I would do a chronicle a day for the rest of the week to make up for the time I had spent away from the blog. I think I started well (like we all do when we make a new resolution) but I didn’t put up anything yesterday.

I paid tribute to a friend I lost to cancer early this year, did my bit at lifting everyone’s spirits, and described a trip I took to Funtua last year. After that, it seemed like every force on earth (and beyond) swore wouldn’t write anything again. That in itself is a story but it’s not for today.

So a friend and colleague at Uni who cared enough to ask why I didn’t put up anything yesterday (shame on you if you didn’t ask) wrote something which i have posted below. Say hello to Andrew Watt people!

“As a Brit, my collected knowledge of Lagos and Nigeria comes from Nigerians I have met and programmes on the television. Last year, the BBC screened a three-part series called ‘Welcome to Lagos’ which showed some Lagos citizens living in squalid and dangerous conditions, making a living in any way they could. Coming from a country which has many people who believe the state owes them a living and sit on their backsides all day, I found their stories inspirational and fascinating. In fact it should be compulsory viewing for anyone who lives off the state. So, as a tribute to the people featured in the series, I decided to write this short poem.

WELCOME TO LAGOS

For some who live in Lagos,

Their world is full of strife,

But you won’t hear them complain or moan,

Though poverty is rife.

In the Olusosun rubbish dump,

Life is very hard,

But some still have the Midas touch,

With the stuff that you discard.

Vocal Slender has a wish,

And every bit of scrap,

Brings him closer to his dream,

To live instead off rap.

Joseph is a trader ,

With two kids and a wife,

But he will work in any place,

If it improves their life.

Makoko is sandy slum,

Built next to the sea,

The houses are a mish mash,

Of various debris.

Chubbey is a fisherman,

With 18 kids in tow,

But wherever there’s a way to earn,

He’s always in the know.

Paul works at Ebute Metta,

He operates a saw,

But on funerals his money’s all been spent,

So he must sleep on the floor.

Handworking sandboys Dan and Kissme,

Make a living from the sand,

In a day they fill two dumper trucks,

Collecting it by hand.

These inspirational people,

Nigerian by birth,

Work and play in Lagos,

And are a gift from God to Earth.”

Thank you Andrew!